Volleyball Home For Two with Davis and Riverside

SERVICE! The Titans try something this week that they are happy to report they have attempted only once before this season - bounce back from a defeat.

With a program-best start of 12-2, the Titans are only three wins away from clinching a winning season and they are back home playing their Big West Conference home opener against struggling UC Riverside (1-12) and non-conference foe UC Davis.

Last weekend the Titans continued their recent mastery of Pacific, a program which beat Fullerton the first 40 times they met. The Titans beat the Tigers, 3-1, for their third win over Pacific in the last five meetings. It was only the second time Fullerton has won a conference opener (last year vs. Pacific) and the first time it happened on the road. Breanna Trudeau led the way with 19 kills.

After a long trip home via Denver, a road weary Titan team lost at Cal State Northridge on Saturday night, 3-1. It snapped the school record 7-match winning streak.

ON THE AIR: Patrick Alog will bring you all the Titan volleyball action this weekend on fullertontitans.com as the Titans take on UC Riverside and UC Davis at Titan Gym. Also, visit www.bigwest.org/tv/ and sign up to receive streaming video of all of the Titans' conference matches. When applicable, an audio stream will run with the game, just like TV!

VERSUS THE HIGHLANDERS: The Titans have won the last two meetings with UC Riverside increasing their all-time lead against the Highlanders to 9-4. The two teams first met in 1984, then twice a year starting in 2001 when UCR joined the Big West. Three of the four Titans losses came since 2001. UC Riverside is currently 1-12, 0-2 on the year, and are currently amidst a five-match losing streak. 8 of their 12 losses have come by way of the 3-0, sweep.

VERSUS THE AGGIES: Fullerton has taken all three matches (3-0) they have played against UC Davis since their first meeting in 2004. The Titans have won nine of the 10 games over those three matches. UC Davis is 1-13, and is riding 11-match skid. 10 of their 13 losses have come by way of the 3-0, sweep.

QUICK HITS:
&\#149; Fullerton continues its unprecedented start to a season improving to 11-1 with wins over Lipscomb, Penn and Sand Diego State last weekend. The Titans are currently riding a program-best, six-game winning streak. Never before have the Titan volleyballers won more than five matches in a row.

&\#149; This year's team started off 5-0, tying a school record (1985, 87, 96) with most consecutive wins to start a season.

&\#149; The school's best-ever seven-match winning streak was snapped by Cal State Northridge on Sept. 23 with a 3-1 loss on the road, dropping the Titans to 12-2, 1-1.

&\#149; The Titans recorded 14 straight winning games from Sept. 8 to Sept. 16 over a span of five matches to set a new school record. The old record was held by the 1996 squad which posted 12 wins in a row from Oct. 9 to Oct. 14 over a span of four matches.

&\#149; The Titans were 11-0 in tournament play this season, winning three tournament titles (Four Points Titan Classic, Comcast Logo Invitational, and the Holiday Inn Fullerton Classic) in a season for the first time in the history of the program. Fullerton also competed in the Long Beach state Tournament, going 2-0. The Titans did not place in the tournament because they did not play a full tournament schedule. The Titans lost just 6 of 39 games in tournament play.

&\#149; Sophomore Brittany Moore became just the seventh Big West Player of the Week in the program's existence on 9/4/06, and first since 2004 (Lauren Goins, OH).

&\#149; The 2006 squad is looking to post its first winning season since 1996 after a pair of near misses in 2004 (14-14) and 2005 (14-15). The Titans need just 3 more match victories to insure its first winning season in nine seasons.

&\#149; The team's 28-29 record over the past two seasons has given them the best winning percentage (.491) in back-to-back years in the program's 30-year existence.

&\#149; The 2006 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll has predicted a fifth place finish for the Titans -their highest preseason ranking ever. The Titans have never won more than 6 conference matches in the history of the program.

&\#149; The Titans are a perfect 6-0 at home needing seven wins in the remaining eight home matches to tie the 2004 squad's 13-4 record at Titan Gym, for the best in the school's history. In 2004, the team went 1-10 on the road to finish 14-14. Fullerton is 6-2 on the road this year.

IN THE BIG WEST:
&\#149; By hitting for averages of .571 an .381 last week, Amanda Pfielschiefter jumped form 5th in the conference to 2nd in attack percentage, passing teammate Brittany Moore (3rd at .354) who places 9th in kills per game at 3.32 and 5th in total kills with 166.

&\#149;Julie Geissert, just the third Titan to ever accumulate over 2,000 assists, ranks 3rd in the Big West with 11.96 assists per game, with the second-best total with 598. Cal Poly's Chelsea Hayes leads with 691 assists, and 12.34 per game.

&\#149; Fullerton is 2nd in the conference in serving, posting 1.92 aces a game led by setter Julie Geissert (0.36 sapg), who sits in 6th place in the league in sapg and 4th in total aces with 18.

&\#149;Junior Vanessa Vella has had to do all the shoveling over the past two seasons - all alone. This season, she has had some help in the back-court with the help of newcomers Mounia Nihpali, and Deven Bukoski and returner Danielle Hitzeman who have each all registered over 140 digs so far. Vella leads the team with 249 total digs, and is No. 3 in the conference with 4.98 per game. Hitzeman (3.18 dpg) and Nihipali (3.00 dpg) also show up in the leagues top ten at No. 9 and 10, respectively

&\#149; Brittany Moore has a handle of the Titans' blocking, jumping up one spot to No. 7 in the conference with 1.12 bpg. The sophomore has 56 total blocks and has the second-best total in league when it comes to the solo variety (12).

&\#149; Fullerton has the second-best attack percentage in the conference (.223) behind Long Beach State (.237). Also Fullerton is holding their opponents to just a .119 percentage to lead the conference.